Lady Midnight
by Kenxi
Summary: Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorn are about to set out on an adventure for answers and, in Emma's case, revenge. For those who can't wait for the newest Mortal Instrument book, please enjoy my beginning of Cassandra Clare's newest series, The Dark Artifices.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is just my idea of how Cassandra Clare's third Shadowhunter book series will begin, The Dark Artifices. It is not much to go on, but hopefully it may quench some of the thirst of those out there seeking for more angels and demons. :D However, I do not think that any of you are more excited than me for City of Heavenly Fire coming out in March. Ahhh! Isn't the cover of it beautiful? Let me know what you think, and/or if I should continue a little bit further with it. Loves!

**Lady Midnight**

Kenxi

For perhaps the final time, Emma Carstairs jabbed the delicate looking but viscous seraph blade into the demon's side. It was then that the formless beast, slimy and ultimately lacking in its recent energy, fell to the earth and melted away into a large green puddle of demon.

Emma smirked in that satisfactory way that often, if not always, came along when victory struck. Where the Behemoth demon had once been, the ground was now steaming as if the earth's core was suddenly much closer to surface than once believed, and the heat of it was just beginning to show through the complicated swirls of smoke.

The sun was just starting to sink beyond the ocean where it would no longer be seen until the following day. Though the water was quite a distance away from where she stood, Emma could smell the salty water that always seemed to fill the air where she lived. That, and the smoky air that was at times a bit hard to see through due to the pollution.

Nodding once toward the demon puddle in a mockery, but final, way, Emma turned around to see how her _parabatai_ was getting along with his own demon. Even as he was battling the infernal creature, Julian had that look on his face, the expression that suggested that he was smiling, although his lips were hardly curled in an upward direction. It didn't seem to matter to Julian Blackthorn that he could die at any moment- he was almost visibly grinning. That slight smile on Jules' face happened to be there subconsciously no matter what was going on. Emma knew without asking that Julian wasn't even aware of the feature that lit up his already unusual blue-green eyes.

Jules looked up at that moment for a split second, his gaze reaching hers and his face brightened before he returned his focus upon that of the blue demon. The moment was short, but it was all that Emma needed to recognize that Julian didn't need help. Since the two friends had become _parabatai_, they had been able to communicate without words. Of course there were other things that having a _parabatai_ offered, but their communiqué was certainly one they both profited from equally.

So instead of helping him, she plopped herself down on the grassy hill and watched him, tugging on the messy blonde braid in her hair that was covered in leaves and dirt. Looking down at her pale arms she noticed for the first time a bloody gash that ran across the skin of her forearm. Emma didn't even think twice about putting an _iratze_ on it or not- Jules was the one who always did her runes, she had stopped arguing about the matter long ago. Now she only put her own angelic runes on if she absolutely had too. She had never been too good at drawing them; Julian was the artist. Emma could barely draw a stele without messing up. She laughed lightly to herself at the thought before turning her attention back on her _parabatai_.

The Shax demon suddenly thrust its pincers at Julian who dodged the blow and in return slashed at it evenly with his seraph blade. His dark brown hair was sticking to his temples with sweat, his eyes very bright. Out of eight kids in his family, only three of them lacked the Blackthorn trademarks which consisted of the same dark brown hair and blue-green eyes. After living with them for such a long time, Emma knew Blackthorns like her own family. She and Julian had always been better friends than she had with the rest of his family, which was only one small part of why they had both agreed to become _parabatai_. It wasn't an oath to be taken lightly, if there was a knife coming towards him, she was bound by the Law to jump in front of it to protect Julian, just as he was sworn to do the same for her. Emma still had no regrets, and she didn't think she ever would. Pairing herself of with Julian had to be the best choice she had ever made.

Emma narrowed her eyes at the scene in front of her, every so often mentally noting all the things she would have done differently had she been the one fighting the demon at the moment. Jules had always been so interesting to watch- no matter what it was he was doing. Fighting demons, talking to his siblings, joking with a friend, painting a masterpiece. Whatever it was, everything he did was just as artistic as the paintings he so flawlessly created. Even now as he sparred with the rather nasty looking demon, the way he moved and danced out of the way was beautiful. He didn't make it look hard at all with that calm look and hint of a smile on his face. Although, his way of decapitating beasts took much longer than it did Emma, who usually slashed the monster to pieces thoughtlessly before it had the chance to touch her. Each of his actions were just as much of a grand piece of art as his paintings were.

Jumping back with precision to avoid getting clawed, Jules flicked his wrist and Emma watched as the flash of silver from the seraph bladed knife found its way into the demon's ribcage. It howled in agony for a moment before shrinking into nothing. Again, she couldn't help but think how much faster she would have killed it. Not to mention how differently she would have done it. But Jules had a fighting style all his own.

He turned to Emma, his white teeth showing through his crooked grin. Emma rolled her eyes at him but she was smiling too. You had to smile when you were around Julian, no matter who you were, you just had to smile.

"Not bad," Emma admitted coolly, "but you still took ten minutes more than me to finish it off."

He dropped to the ground next to her. "Seven minutes."

Emma shook her head and gave him a look. "Because of course you had the brain power to count while fighting a Shax demon. Gee, that makes sense, Jules," she teased.

Julian wrapped his long arms around his legs and looked over the ocean. It was getting dark, but she could always pick out his extraordinary bluish-green eyes, no matter the time of day. The color of the water was especially defining the blue in their color tonight, causing his eyes to get bigger on his flushed face. "As Nephilim we are trained to be able to think of other things in times of combat- it was never specified as to what exactly we had to put those extra focus points on."

Before she had been propping herself up on her elbows, but as Julian finished his sentence Emma pulled her arms out from under her and let herself fall backward onto the soft grass on her back in feigned annoyance. But she wasn't really, annoyed, that is. She knew he was just kidding- he probably hadn't given his timing a single thought till now- just vainly trying to needle with her into frustration, but it rarely worked. It took an incredible amount of pestering from Jules to anger someone. Mainly that was because he didn't have the patience with someone enough annoy them. However, she had seen him paint countless times, his nimble fingers so rarely-if ever-messing up in his art. It didn't make much sense, but then again, many things about Jules made no sense.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when his warm fingers gently fluttered across her right arm. Jules was already pulling out his stele when she glanced up at him, the sun, so low at the moment, burned her eyes when she did this, causing her to squint against the red glare. "Even if I did take ten more minutes than you, at least I avoided injuring myself," Julian pressed the tip of the stele into her wounded arm, which was covered in clotted blood and dirt. He shook his head in unbelief.

Emma didn't say anything, she merely sat up so she could watch in fascination as Julian's slender fingers drew the familiar _irazte_ into her skin. She never could get tired of watching him draw. It was so captivating- the way his dark brown hair fell into his shocking eyes which were so focused on the task, big or small. Even if it was simply painting a rune, he would always put his full talents into the work with a sharp, almost tangible, intensity that Emma knew meant that even if the sky was on fire the idiot probably wouldn't care. When he was painting, there was only Julian and his artwork, nothing, and no one, else mattered for that short moment.

"There," he said, lifting his head with a crooked smile. The small movement made Emma know that he had once again joined reality. Emma looked down to see that the ragged skin begin knitting itself together as the healing rune did its work. Breathing in deeply she stood, putting out her hand to pull her _parabatai_ up.

He took her hand, but she felt nearly no pressure against it as he jumped to his feet. Another wave of hot air hit them and Emma swallowed, realizing how thirsty she was.

"Okay, you took _six minutes_ more than me and I'm an idiot, how's that?"

Julian snickered. "No good," she could tell he was attempting to lay the smile low, but the corners of his mouth were twitching and a look of innocence spread on his face. "Like I said, I was counting the second you killed your demon. It was definitely seven minutes."

Emma punched him hard in the arm.

"Ow!"

She ignored him as he ruefully rubbed his shoulder and turned her gaze towards the brilliant red and orange sun that shone over the shimmering ocean. "We should get back. Everyone will be wondering what's taking us so long."

Jules folded his tattooed covered arms over his slightly lanky chest, following her line of sight. Dried paint spotted his black shirt and had hardened a few pieces of his dark hair together, probably from painting just before they had left the Institute, Emma thought. She hadn't noticed before though, probably because he was always painting and therefore always covered in paint, so often that she had grown used to the fact and had just accepted it.

The artist shoved Emma playfully. "If only it weren't for those extra seven minutes…"

Emma shoved him even harder than he had her, but she was smiling as she did it.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** So this just takes place a few hours after they got home from their recent demon hunting. Note that I am not Cassie Clare and therefore am not brilliant with anything, so just let me know if I should continue or not. Thanks ya'll!

**-Kenxi**

Emma peered through the lightly cracked door to Julian's room. He was sitting at a canvase, drawing something which she could not see. Feeling it safe to go inside, she pushed the wooden door open, no knocking needed for her.

Jules didn't so much as flinch by her sudden presence, but continued with his art, putting some finishing grays into the blue of the ocean.

"Hey, Emma," he said, the majority of his focus upon the painting. She knew he wasn't really _here _mentally, but she still responded to him anyway.

She sat on the small, unkept bed near him, watching him work. Water wasn't exactly in her "like" list of things, but Jules loved it. And as most people close to him knew, Julian Blackthorn drew the things he loved.

"It's beautiful," she stared at the different shades and colors that brought the painting to life. For some reason, as she looked at it, this work of art seemed different than the ones Jules had done in the past.

Finally, Jules stopped and sat back to look at his finished work. Emma couldn't shake the strange feeling she had. There was something about this painting. The way the waves hit the rocks in such a calm, yet intense manner. The lighting of the sun against the reflection. It seemed familiar in a way, as if she had seen it before-

Jules broke her train of thought, nudging her elbow with his. "So, Em, what's wrong with the painting, huh?"

Emma started, pushing back her previous thoughts and instead focused on what he just said. "Hmm? What?"

He laughed at her expression and sat the paintbrush down. "You were staring at the painting like you wanted to dissect it."

"Oh, I guess I zoned out. Not your painting's fault, I promise."

His blue-green eyes sparkled with humor. Leave it to Jules to find the good in all things. "Good thing, too. If pictures start having magical properties, I don't know what I'll do for sure. I'd probably have to resort to reading Sherlock Holmes with Ty."

Now Emma laughed, knowing that Jules read Sherlock Holmes with his brother, Ty, anyway. Not because he necessarily enjoyed the stories, by the Angel no, but because he loved spending time with Ty.

He turned around then to face her for the first time since she came in. "So, I can tell you need to ask me something, so shoot." Emma reached forward to wipe some smeared blue paint from his cheek.

"I just came to tell you that dinner going to be ready soon, and you know how your mother is about you being covered in paint at the table."

Surprise lit his face while he stood up. "Wow," he mused, "time really does fly when you're painting the ocean."

Emma raised an eyebrow at that. "Perhaps after dinner I could help you with your quoting skills."

Julian made a face of innocence. "Who, me?" He then smiled and left the room. Emma stuck her tongue out at him behind his back before following.

**A/N:** Please remember to review! It would mean most awesomeness to me if you did so. Thank ya much.:D

**-Kenxi**


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